North Carolina FC - 1 of 10 MLS candidates (Nashville: neighborhood, light rail)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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Seems to me that with 4 finalists and 4 teams available down the road, that those will be the 4 expansion teams?
Nah they would have said that. Very likely that these 4 were the most qualified in the short term. There may have been cities bids that they liked better but werent in as quick a position to be ready for the first two teams. Could be lots of reasons why some of the other cities may be a better option but just not for right now.
Seems to me that with 4 finalists and 4 teams available down the road, that those will be the 4 expansion teams?
Maybe, but not necessarily, I guess it all depends on which two they pick first and which two are left for the next round.
Sacramento and Nashville have stadium deals ready to go, Detroit was going to build a new stadium downtown, but now wants to use Ford Field and share it with the Lions, after doing some renovations.
In recent years and with the success of the Seattle Sounds and Atlanta United FC both playing in NFL stadiums, MLS has lessened their stance that every team needs/is required to have a soccer specific only stadium.
I will say this, whoever wants to knock off the remaining two teams after this round of expansion, be it the Triangle or Phoenix or whoever, will have to come up with a pretty amazing plan/deal. And don't forget there is always relocation, which might be happening very soon with the Columbus Crew moving to Austin. If that does happen, I hear Columbus might be added to the group of cities wanting an expansion team, of course that is dependent on stadium financing and building a new venue.
Honestly, MLS would be pretty dumb to pick all 4 expected expansion teams now since they expect it to be a few years before the next 2 are announced. Things can change in that amount of time and for a group so concerned with very specific demographics and freshness, you want that decision to be based on the latest data.
Not surprised. I read average attendance for NCFC is around 6k. You need another 15,000 fans and complete season sellout if there's going to be an MLS team here.
Maybe, but not necessarily, I guess it all depends on which two they pick first and which two are left for the next round.
Sacramento and Nashville have stadium deals ready to go, Detroit was going to build a new stadium downtown, but now wants to use Ford Field and share it with the Lions, after doing some renovations.
In recent years and with the success of the Seattle Sounds and Atlanta United FC both playing in NFL stadiums, MLS has lessened their stance that every team needs/is required to have a soccer specific only stadium.
Could the local bid group work something out with one of the college football stadiums? Carter-Finley has the best parking situation, but would an upgrade at the fields in Cary work? Asked by someone who knows nothing about soccer.
Could the local bid group work something out with one of the college football stadiums? Carter-Finley has the best parking situation, but would an upgrade at the fields in Cary work? Asked by someone who knows nothing about soccer.
That's an interesting thought. Currently Cincinnati, one of the cities that made it to the "Final 4" in the next round of MLS expansion, with two being chosen, have a USL team, FC Cincinnati, that plays in Nippert Stadium.
That stadium is on the University of Cincinnati's campus where the Cincinnati Bearcats play football. The stadium had to be modified to fit a soccer pitch, which the soccer team paid for, but their long term goal is to build a 20,000 soccer specific stadium, if they get an MLS expansion team.
I feel the reason Seattle and Atlanta work in playing in NFL stadiums, is because they obviously have great fan bases that can fill a stadium greater than 20,000 plus both teams are owned, either fully or partially by the NFL owners in their respective cities, so sort of an "all in the family" if you know what I mean.
With that Detroit bid, I heard that the Ford family (owners of the Lions) will have a minority stake in a MLS team, if they get awarded one.
While Carter-Finley could be a great temporary stadium, I feel an MLS team wouldn't want to share with the University or vice versa, plus they would want a stadium that had individual seats and not bleachers.
Exactly. Also, MLS will not stop at 28 - will most likely go to 32 eventually. Have to play the long game.
29 and 30 are LA and most likely Miami. They already have 4 strong contenders with the fan base they need right now...so that's 32. Garber put Charlotte ahead of Raleigh when he talked about expansion during the MLS All Star game last summer and they are further behind Raleigh in getting a stadium.
I think they’d just improve the current soccer park instead of going to Carter Finley. At least there will be SOMETHING near it in a few years. Carter Finley is a big never in that department.
But, I’m fairly sure they will stick to Downtown and try to keep pushing their plan for a new stadium as MLS really seems to want to be in downtown areas.
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